The double murder in our capital city this week has caused outrage which will last... for about 48 hours.

The fact an innocent man and mum of six were mown down with a machine gun while children looked on makes this an exceptionally callous crime.

There have been so many gangland killings over the years so it is not surprising the public are suffering from outrage overload.

The scene of a shooting on Balbutcher Drive, ballymun this afternoon (Image: Collins Agency, Dublin)

By lunchtime yesterday the deaths had dropped down RTE news’ pecking order being replaced by a new story about killer Molly Martens and her dad.

The dismissal of two court challenges against the ban on same-sex marriage in the North was also getting as much prominence as the Ballymun murder.

Actually there was very little outrage over this barbaric attack, indeed people were getting more animated by the events in Charlottesville last weekend.

It could be after 20 years of gangland killings the country has come to accept this is a very violent society and that’s the way it’s going to stay.

Have you noticed how our national broadcaster is reluctant to even utter the word murder, instead using ridiculous euphemisms to almost imply the victim is not quite dead?

How many times have you heard about a man who was “fatally stabbed” or suffered a “fatal gunshot wound”.

The scene of a shooting on Balbutcher Drive, ballymun this afternoon. (Image: Collins Agency, Dublin)

The reason for all this pussyfooting around is probably down to the fact we know organised crime is out of control and there is little being done to stop it. Think about it, we are a country with a population of 4.5 million – half that of London – and yet hardly a week goes by without another mob murder.

The criminals are now so brazen they mow people down with a machine gun in our capital in broad daylight.

They do so because they know there is a good chance they will get away with it and if caught they will have the best lawyers our money can buy to defend them in court.

Even if they go down they know a life sentence is nothing of the sort in a prison with Xboxes, mobile phones and a decent supply of drugs.

The public know despite promises over the past two decades, the political parties do not consider tackling organised crime a top priority.

It would take complete slaughter on the streets to get Leo and the lads off their hols yet they would be on the first plane back if there was a bloodbath on the stock exchange or a run on a bank.

Twenty years of non-stop murders has also proved to the public our police force is incapable of dealing with gangland crime.

Indeed Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan – who is still on her six-week holiday – and senior officers appeared to be more interested in dealing with whistleblowers than taking on those blowing people away with machine guns.

Residents in working-class areas, who seldom see a garda on foot patrol, will recall how their streets were flooded with officers when it came to installing water meters.

As they say, where there’s a will there’s a way and the State is simply unwilling to make every possible effort to kill off organised crime. The reality is this country not just tolerates those involved in criminality, it actually assists them going about their business.

As the law stands those with more than 100 convictions can still receive free legal representation when caught committing new offences.

How is it not possible to limit the amount of legal aid available to persistent offenders when it’s possible to deny young people their full dole entitlement?

The scene of a shooting on Balbutcher Drive, ballymun this afternoon (Image: Collins Agency, Dublin)

Why are killers being sentenced to life sentences but can apply for parole after seven years for crimes which would merit a 30-year term on the other side of the Irish Sea?

How come criminals have a quarter of their sentence knocked off for good behaviour even if they cause mayhem while in jail?

Why are hardened thugs who repeatedly commit violent crimes having up to half their sentences suspended instead of keeping them off the streets for as long as possible?

There are a very small number of people involved in gangland killings and I have no doubt the monsters who murdered innocent Antoinette Corbally and Clinton Shannon have been in and out of the courts and prison for most of their lives.

In the coming days there will be increased Garda checkpoints as there are after every murder but until the State gets serious and changes the laws to put those involved away for decades, the killing will go on.